Quote
jemach
I'm not sure you can compare players based on one stat.
We are weak on the edge and LB. There isn't a guy in this roster that is going to magically improve the unit. We have a bunch of guys...we need help.
There is another round of free agency...so there will be some opportunity.
I certainly didn't.
I mentioned that objective tackles stats suggest that both Longacre and Ebukam were better than Quinn and Barwin in defending the run.
PFF's subjective ranking also supports that position. It's interesting to me that according to their metrics, Quinn, Barwin, and AO were among the lowest rated LB's in the league across the board. The backups were rated higher in run D and pass rushing.
Their rankings align with the raw, objective stats and both align with what my eyes saw.
Pretty much all of your statements could be about last year. That's my point.
Last year, we were "weak on the edge and LB." Last year, there wasn't "a guy on this roster that magically improved the unit." Last year, "We needed help."
My stance is, if they did nothing to improve the unit, they are no worse off than last year and arguably they are better.
We get so concerned about a perceived "hole" and forget that, despite the big names, we had the same hole last year. Yet the D still somehow managed to finish very high in pass rushing metrics and 12th overall (9th prior to the SF mail in game) in points allowed.